eastwood



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-8heet 1.

- G. EASTWOOD.-

PLATES PRESS.

No. 544,887. Patented Aug. 20, 1895'.

Fig. 1.

(No Model) 4 SheetsShe1t 2. G. EASTWOOD.

PLATBN PRESS. I N0. 544 ,887. Patented Aug. 20 1895.

Fig.2.

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a 1 JJ 'zl Z k 7/ a w 0 a s C J (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheetfi.

G. EASTWOOD.

PLATBN PRESS. i

No. 544,887. Patented Au 20,- 1.895..

(No Model.) 4 Sheet-Shefi 4.

G. EASTWOOD.

PLATBN PRESS- Y N0. 544,887. Patented Aug. 20, 1895'.-

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGEEASTWOOD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PLATEN PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,887, dated August20, 1895. Application filed March 20, 1895. Serial No. 542,438- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE EASTWOOD, of

36 and 37 Cow Cross Street, London, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in and Relating to Platen Presses,

however, in whole or in part applicable to platen presses used for otherpurposes, as, for,

example, platen printing-presses.

In the production of stereotype-plates for newspaper-Work saving of timeis of great importance, and one object of this invention is to efiect asubstantial saving in the time occupied in running the type-form ontothe bed of the press and in then bringing down the platen so as toimpress the flong and thereby produce the mold or matrix, the fiongbeing either laid upon the form or carried by the platen.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the ready flowing awayof the Water from the press when a wet form is used, and

thereby to save the delay which would benecessary to allow the water toevaporate on the heated type-bed.

It is known that in pressing a material between two parallel flatsurfaces, whether such material be a fiong in the operation of beingmolded into a matrix, or a sheet of paper in the process of beingprinted, or a substance in the operation of being compressed-such, forexample, as cotton-seedthe pressure produces a slightly less effect atand near the center than at and near the exterior of the material underoperation. It is a further object of this invention to overcome thisdefect.

The invention consists of the combination, in a platen press forproducing molds or matrices for stereotyping, of a plate or tray to holdthe type-form and which slides from an outside position to a positionbelow the platen and vice versa, and of springs connected with saidplate and with the press-frame or other fixed part, the saidsprings,when the plate is in the outside position, being in tension,Whereby when the plate is not retained inthe outside position thesprings move it, together whereby when the said catches are released thesaid springs cause the platen to descend rapidly; also, of aform-carrying sliding plate for a platen press for producing lDlOld-Sfor stereotyping, the said plate having a flange at the back for theattachment thereto of springs for giving sliding movement to the plate,as already described, with an opening or openings in the flange to allowwater to run freely from the plate, the press-bed having a slightdownward inclination from front to back; also, of a plate or sheet foraplaten press for placing against one face of the material or substanceoperated upon by the press, the said plate or sheet having a slightconvexity on one face, the convexity being greatest in the center of theplate and be coming gradually less until it reaches availishing pointtoward the edges of the plate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of aplaten press constructed according to this invention and adapted for theproduction of molds or matrices for stereotyping. Fig. 2 is a backelevation of the press. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the press onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the plate ortray with a type-form thereon. Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 a centrallongitudinal section, of the plate, showing the slight convexity on "oneface, this convexity not being shown in the other figures.

Referring first to Figs 1 to 4:, a a represent the frame of the press.

F9 is the bed upon which the plate and type form rest during thepressing operation.

a is a range of gasburners for heating the bed 19.

d is the platen, which can be raised and lowered as required. It isshown as provided with toggle-levers e e e e, the ends of which arerounded, one end working in sockets in bosses f f, whicharescreW-threaded internally and engage with a right and left handedscrew 9, fitted with hand-lever arms h h for turning it. The upper endsof the upper toggle-levers e e work in sockets in the presshead i andthe lower ends of the lower levers e 6 work in sockets on the platen d.

k is a feed-table.

Z is the plate or tray, hereinbefore described, upon which the type-formis placed.

m represents the form.

The plate and form are seen in Fig. 1 in their outside position-that isto say, upon the table 70. The same figure shows, in dottedlines, theirposition when below the platen.

n n are strong springs, one end of which is attached to the press-frameat p p and the other end to the bands q g, by which they are connectedto a flange r at the back of the plate Z. I

q q are rollers over which the bands pass.

8 s are other strong springs, one end of which is attached to thepressframe at t and the other end to thelower ends of chains ULb, whoseupper ends are attached to the shaft of the screw g. The drawings showthe platen din the raised position, the raising being ef fected byturning the shaft 9 by means of the hand-levers h h. The platen is heldin the raised position by means of the stopsv *0, which come against oneof thelever-arms h h at each end of the shaft g. These stops arecentered at w w and are themselves held by L-pieces ac, one arm of eachof which projects beyond the longitudinal line of the tray Z.

The operation is as follows: The platen d is raised by means of thelever-arms hh, and while this is being effected the chains uu wind roundthe shaft g and put the springs s s in tension. The stops or; (of whichthere may be two, as shown, or only one) then hold the platen in theraised position. The plate Z is drawn out from below the platen onto thefeed-table 70, (into the position seen in full lines in Fig. 1,) thesprings 11. n, attached to the plate, being thus put into tension, andthe plate is then held on the feed-table by one or more catches y y,which engage with a flange on the front of the plate. The type-form m,from which the matrix is to be obtained, is then secured on the plate,or the form may be made up on the plate, in which case the springs n itshould be temporarily disconnected therefrom. When the plate, with theform, is ready and a flong, with or without a blanket, has been placedthereon, the catches yycan be released. The plate, with the form, isimmediately drawn toward the platen by the springs n n, which give theform sufficient impulse to cause: it to slide on the inclined andwell-oiled bed 1) into position under the platen, (the position seen indotted lines in Fig.1.) It strikes against a buffer 2 and is caught andsteadied by the catch 2. The plate in running backward under the platenstrikes the pieces or and thereby in-' stantaneously releases the stops0 e, that hold up the platen. The platen then under the action of itssprings s s, descends rapidly and presses the flong upon the form, and afinal or finishing pressure can then be given by process.

means of one or more of the lever-arms h h. A A are doors at the frontand back of the platen for the purpose of inclosing the space betweenthe platen and the bed I), and thereby preventing the escape of heat.

In order to allow the water to flow away when a wet form is used, thepress is constructed so that the type-bed has a slight downwardinclination from front to back, or means are provided whereby the frontof the press can, when desired, be slightly raised to give any requiredinclination to the bed. In Fig. l a plate Bis shown inserted between thepress-frame'at front and the foundationplate 0 for the purpose of givingthis inclination. D D are openings in the flange 'r of the platel inorder to let the water run freely from the plate instead of its beingleft to evaporate on the heated type-bed.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, Z is the plate or sheet. The flanges atthe front and back are not required except when the plate is intended tobe used in a platen press working, as hereinbefore described, forproducing molds for stereotyping. Z is a slight convexity on one face ofthe plate, the convexity (which is exaggerated in Fig. 6) belng greatestin the center of the plate and becominggradually less until it reachesavanishing point toward the edges. This convexity is preferably producedby the electroplating The plate or sheet is placed, convex sideuppermost, below the type-form in a stereotype-matrix platen press or ina platen printing-press, with the result that when the platen comes downupon the form, the type at and near the middle being slightly held up bythe convexity or thickening of the plate, the impression obtained isperfect, while in the case of presses used for other purposes the plateis placed below or above the substance to be pressed, with the resultthat the pressure effected by the platen is equal over the entiresurface of such substance. Attempts have previously been made to obtainthe same result-that is to say, equal pressure over all thepressing-surface-in the case of printing-presses by forming the platenwith a slight convexity at the middle; but this does not meet thedifficulty unless the press is always used to print from forms of onegiven size, for which the convexity is appropriate; but by having a setof plates of various sizes with convexities, as described, a plate canalways be selected appropriate to the size of the form to be used, and,further, as the plates do not form an integral part of the press theycan be usedin presses already constructed with flat platens.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. In a platen press for producing molds or matrices for stereotypingthe combination with the type bed I), the platen d, and the feed tableof the form-holding plate l having a back flange and a front flange,connectors q q engaging at one end with said back flange and attached atthe other end to springs 12 n, the said springs 17. 72 connected with afixed part and catches y y engaging with said front flanges,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a platen press, the combination with the platen, of toggle leversfor raising and lowering the platen a right and left handed screw shaftfor working said levers, hand levers on said shaft, chains attached atone end to said shaft so as to wind thereon and unwind therefrom as theshaft rotates in the one and the other direction respectively, springsattached at one end to said chains and at the other end to fixed partsand put in tension by the winding of the chains and the consequent riseof the platen, and a catch to retain the platen in the raised positionand the springs in tension whereby when the said catch is released thesprings cause the platen to descend rapidly, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. In a platen press the combination with the platen of springs whichare put in tension by the raising of the platen, a catch to retain theplaten in its raised position and the springs in tension, and a slidingform carrier which releases the said catch when sliding with the forminto position below the platen whereby when the form reaches the saidposition the springs cause the platen to descend rapidly, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

4. A form-carrying sliding plate for a platen press for producing moldsfor stereotyping,-

said plate having in the operative position a slight downwardinclination from front to back, a flange at the lower back end of saidplate, fastening provisions on said flange for the connection therewithof means for sliding said plate, and an opening through said flange forthe passage of water from said plate, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. A plate for a platen press having on one face a slight substantiallycircular convexity in the middle, said convexity being greatest in thecenter of the plate and gradually diminishing until it reaches avanishing point toward the edges of the plate, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

6. In a platen press, the combination with a rising and falling platenand means for moving it, of a carrier movable into and out of positionopposite the platen, and means preventing movement of the platen towardthe carrier when the latter is out of position, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

7. In a platen press, the combination with a rising and falling platenand means for moving it, of a carrier movable into and out of positionopposite the platen, and means holding the platen against movementtoward the carrier when the latter is out of position, and automaticallyreleased and permitting movement of the platen toward the carrier whenthe latter is moved into position, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE EASTWOOD.

Witnesses:

THOMAS L. WHITEHEAD, T. F. BARNES.

